Painting Doctor Jinhua

"I have heard about her mother, Xiao Luan, from the elders of the clan. It is said that when Emperor Wenxuan was alive, he valued the eldest daughter of the Xiao family who came from the south, especially her medical skills, which won the heart of Emperor Xuan. After Emperor Xuan established the Great Qi, he cleaned up the bureaucracy and recruited talents, making the Great Qi powerful and the people happy. But later, her temper became very strange. She often got angry and could not control herself. Many concubines and even ministers were killed by her for no reason. As a result, all the clans were in awe of this heroic emperor and dared not approach him."

Speaking of this heroic emperor, Gao Changgong frowned slightly, feeling somewhat confused and frightened: it seemed that there was such a "disease" hidden in the blood of the Gao family. Emperor Wenxuan was a wise ruler when he was making great achievements. He could terrify the westerners when he threw a cup and frighten the northern barbarians when he carried armor. Even the Turkic Khan praised him for his demeanor as a sage. However, in the later period of his reign, he became extremely cruel and inhumane, debauched and fond of killing. Even he himself died of alcohol and sex in the end.

Gao Zhan, who had succeeded to the throne, was even more licentious and cruel. He would not listen to any advice. His elder brother Gao Xiaoyu was framed by Gao Zhan for advising Empress Hu that she should not have close contacts with the minister He Shikai, who played wushuo (a kind of chess game similar to backgammon). Gao Zhan eventually committed suicide by drinking poison and jumping into the river.

While I was thinking about it, I heard Lu Yu continue:

"However, there was only one person who could get close to Emperor Xuan and escape unscathed. It was even said that as long as this female doctor was around, Emperor Xuan would no longer be irritable and easily angered, but would be very calm, as if he had become the wise ruler he once was. Therefore, Emperor Xuan loved this female doctor very much, and later appointed her as a female official, with the same rank as a third-rank Guanglu doctor, and required this female doctor to be his exclusive imperial physician only."

"Third rank Guanglu doctor?"

Guanglu Dafu was a close minister of the emperor, with no fixed duties and only acted according to the emperor's orders. Emperor Xuan Gao Yang was a lustful man who even wanted to take possession of his brother's wife...

Gao Changgong seemed to have thought of something and fell silent.

"Look, Prince, I told you that you have been in the military camp for many years, so you must not know as much as I do about the many secrets in the palace."

"Aren't you staying in the military camp with me?" Gao Changgong asked back.

Lu Yu said, "Although I stay in the military camp, I have had extraordinary hearing since I was a child. Whether it is the occasional casual chats of my brothers and sisters, uncles, aunts, etc., I can find out and remember them in my mind."

Gao Changgong smiled and said nothing. It was not that he could not find out these things, but he was tired of those "banquets" in the palace and subconsciously refused to accept these things related to the royal secrets of the Gao family.

After pondering for a moment, he raised his head and said solemnly: "Forget it, since we have come to Jiankang, let's go and pay homage to the new emperor of the Southern Dynasty!"

After saying that, he seemed to remember something and said, "Also, send a few skilled people to keep an eye on this place and see what happened to Xiao Xianlang in the end?"

"Prince, you actually want to see how that young lady is doing, right? Are you afraid that the mistress of the Xiao family will send someone to assassinate her?" Then he joked, "By the way, how does it feel to be kissed by her?"

Gao Changgong looked at him and said seriously, "It was almost... my life was in danger!"

The young guard was stunned and looked incredulous.

How could he lose his life? Although being kissed by a beautiful woman would be a bit soul-stirring, it wouldn't really kill him, right?

Gao Changgong naturally couldn't understand Lu Yu's train of thought, but she couldn't help but recall that moment: there was a silver needle in his hand, and at that moment she thought he was someone sent by Princess Yunyin, and she did have the intention to kill him, but when she kissed him, she suddenly thought of something, and finally changed her mind and stabbed herself with the silver needle.

A person who protects himself so vigilantly, yet is so soft-hearted!

……

"How is it? Can my son's injury be cured?"

Inside the Xiao mansion, Princess Yunyin and a group of servants filled the entire room. The anxious wait had filled the princess's face with uneasiness and resentment.

Upon hearing the news, Xiao Jian immediately rushed back from Taicheng and brought several imperial doctors from the palace to treat his son.

The one who asked the question just now was Yao Boxen, who was known as a master physician in the medical field. His father, Yao Sengyuan, was a famous imperial physician during the Southern Liang Dynasty. He had cured Emperor Wu of Liang, Xiao Yan, and Emperor Yuan of Liang, Xiao Yi, of difficult-to-treat diseases. His medical skills were admired far and wide and he was known as a miracle doctor. The family tradition has been passed down to this point and is a unique skill.

Before Yao Boxin could say anything, other imperial doctors came out of the room one after another, all with their heads down and no words spoken.

"Is it really incurable?" Xiao Jian's face gradually showed dejection.

Yao Boshen then tried to comfort him, "In fact, your son's injury is not life-threatening, but it is a wound to his vital organs. Even if this superficial injury can be healed, I'm afraid..."

"Just tell me straight away, how can we save him?" Xiao Jian was getting a little impatient.

Then he said, "My life can be saved, but I cannot cure this disease!"

Xiao Jian's face turned pale, and he looked at the other imperial doctors, only to see that all of them in the hall were shaking their heads and sighing.

Xiao Jiuniang was so frightened that her face turned pale. She hid aside and dared not speak a word.

"It's all because of that bitch!" In the extremely oppressive silence, Princess Yunyin suddenly shouted loudly, like a mountain torrent that could not be stopped, "I want to kill her... I must kill her..."

Upon seeing this, Yao Boxin shook his head, then he took the imperial doctors and said goodbye, leaving the depressing and solemn room.

"Thank you very much!"

Xiao Jian hurriedly sent these imperial doctors, whom he had personally invited, out of the Xiao Mansion and apologized repeatedly on behalf of Princess Yunyin.

"You are too polite, Minister Xiao. I have written a prescription. Even if it cannot completely cure your son, it can help him recover first. It is not impossible that we can invite a more skilled doctor to treat him in the future."

Yao Boxen handed a prescription to Xiao Jian.

Xiao Jian nodded, but he was already sad in his heart: Where can I find a better doctor! Even Yao Boshen, who has the magic of rejuvenation, can't cure it, where else can I find a doctor?

The Xiao family now has only this one relatively healthy heir!

But now this only one is not healthy either!

The more Xiao Jian thought about it, the sadder he became. Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind and he thought of his former daughter, Xiao Luan.

"It would be great if A-Luan was still here. If she were still here, would there be a way..."

As he thought about it, he suddenly remembered the girl who called him grandfather in front of everyone on the street that day, the girl who looked exactly like Alua.

His granddaughter!

Thinking of this, Xiao Jian strode back to the Xiao Mansion and returned to Xiao Yun's Yixiangyuan.

"What on earth is going on? Why did this happen?"

Because he couldn't believe it and was filled with grief and indignation, Xiao Jian, who had always been a man of simplicity and elegance, couldn't help but reveal a ferocious look. He pointed at Princess Yunyin and the servants in the room and asked.

Xiao Jiuniang was trembling with fear. The sharp-eyed Xiao Jian saw that something was wrong with her at a glance. He pointed at her and said sternly:

"Jiu Niang, you speak!"

Xiao Jiuniang shook her head and said, "My daughter knows nothing, nothing at all!"

"You don't have to take it out on your daughter. Let me tell you!" Princess Yunyin suddenly stood up and said, "The root of all this trouble is because of your good granddaughter, an illegitimate daughter who was originally not allowed to see the light of day. As soon as she returned to Jiankang, she set off a huge wave. Didn't you hear about it? Now the whole Jiankang City is talking about how my Xiao family is unkind and abandoned my daughter and granddaughter.

So she came to take revenge. Since she couldn't take revenge on us, she took revenge on your son, hoping that our Xiao family would be extinct. Do you understand what's going on now?"

Xiao Jian's face turned pale and he was silent for a long time. Suddenly, his eyes were filled with sorrow and his face looked ashen.

So, was she the cause of this incident? Then, would it be even more impossible to ask her to come back and treat Hachiro?

Suddenly he thought of some gossips and rumors he had heard in Taicheng:

"I heard that the mistress of the Xiao family sent a dozen assassins to hunt down the granddaughter who came back from the north. The Xiao family is a big family, how come they can't even afford to raise a granddaughter? They have to kill her!"

Thinking of this, Xiao Jian shook his head repeatedly.

"No, you always confuse right and wrong. What you say may not be the truth. Jiu Niang, you should say it!"

Xiao Jian once again turned his cold gaze towards Xiao Jiuniang.

Xiao Jiuniang shuddered, but still didn't dare to speak.

"Say!"

As soon as this word was uttered, Xiao Jian's eyes turned fierce.

Xiao Jiuniang burst into tears and finally spoke out with a trembling voice.

"It was my brother... He said that Xiao Jinyu was very pretty and he couldn't let others get the advantage of her, so he wanted to take her for himself first. So he invited the men from the Lu, Kong, and Zhu families to hold a banquet in the Xinghua Yanyu Tower and lured Xiao Jinyu into the trap. But I don't know what happened later. When my brother came back, she was like this."

Xiao Jian's gaze once again fell on the maid who was standing trembling beside him.

The maid immediately knelt on the ground and cried, "My lord...my lord was raped... raped by those lords from the Lu, Kong, and Zhu families!"